Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

"It's not just that communications have been restored, but the entire area has been brought back under control. It's as if the Angels are actively withdrawing!" Hinata Makoto replied.

Although she didn't understand the reason, Misato Katsuragi made a decisive decision: "Execute Plan C as before, eject all three units—Unit-00, Unit-01, and Unit-02—to the ground, and evacuate all personnel!"

Minutes later, the three machines were ejected to the ground, away from the contaminated area. Personnel were then evacuated from the area, and the area was physically sealed off.

But it was no use, because they detected that the apostle was spreading along the protein wall. Even though it was detected that ozone would normally be countered by ozone, it emitted large amounts of ozone, but within minutes it adapted and evolved the ability to devour ozone.

This is the terrifying aspect of the Terror Apostles: their super-adaptive ability on par with bacteria.

“Completely uncontrollable, and such a small individual can actually deploy an AT field? It’s unbelievable.” Misato Katsuragi exclaimed suddenly.

“Yes,” Ritsuko Akagi nodded, “I can imagine a group of apostles of bacterial size flowing within the protein wall. In the dark underground, these apostles, which are only at the cellular level, rapidly evolve and expand in scale. The fetal apostles, which originally had the strongest learning and adaptability, are as tender as children in front of Him.”

“Now I regret letting Unit-01 leave. Looking back, it seems that this Angel was quite afraid of Unit-01.” Misato Katsuragi sighed.

"Don't regret it now. It seems like it's just speculation." Ritsuko Akagi pushed up her glasses, her eyes reflecting a silvery light. "This is an extremely special case. Now it's our researchers' battlefield."

In the mountains and forests by Lake Ashina, three mobile suits lay fallen, their massive forms pressing down on several mountains and ravines.

"What on earth happened?" Rei Ayanami opened her eyes, looking at the mountains and forests outside through Unit-00's perspective. Being suddenly ejected left her bewildered. But a vague guess formed in her mind, "It must be an Angel, right?"

“Yes, it should be the twelfth Angel.” Shinji Ikari answered Rei Ayanami’s question in the channel. “Its life form is somewhat special. Just before it was ejected, it attempted to invade Unit-01’s body through its left arm.”

"It's actually an Apostle!" Asuka exclaimed in surprise.

"Are you alright, Shinji?" Rei Ayanami asked quickly.

"Idiots will definitely be fine. Invading him will just lead to a reverse infection, just like you." Asuka sneered, then let out an unhappy shout, "This is so uncomfortable! I can't go anywhere naked! Someone save me!"

Shinji Ikari looked at the bulging blue veins on the inside of his left arm, which were now slowly disappearing under the skin.

He wasn't sure if he was alright, but in that brief moment, his Unit-01, which had temporarily merged with the Angel, gave him a slightly peculiar experience. It was a feeling of... having a part of his flaws filled.

However, a small portion was consumed and retained by its own instincts. The fleeing Angels, disregarding this, became permanently part of Unit-01.

For the first time in my life, after encountering an apostle, I did not engage in a counterattack, but was instead protected and voluntarily retreated.

"What about Misato and the others? Isn't this an Angel invasion? Will we be able to manage without EVA?" Asuka asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

“Since they have made this choice, they must be confident in dealing with the Angel invasion. We can trust them completely.” Shinji Ikari said, then controlled Unit-01 to actively eject its insertion plug.

"What are you doing? You're not dressed yet?!" Asuka shouted when she learned that Unit-01 was about to lose connection, but all she heard was Shinji Ikari's nonchalant voice, "Then we'll be even more stuck when the power goes out. I'm going to find some clothes. You can wait for me, or you can come with me."

Asuka and the others definitely won't come together. Maybe Rei Ayanami will, but Asuka will definitely speak up to stop them.

So Shinji Ikari walked barefoot through the forest, completely at ease, only hesitating when he passed a fiddle-leaf fig tree. The leaves of this fiddle-leaf fig could grow to over twenty centimeters long; otherwise, he could have woven an apron.

Just as he was pondering this, he heard footsteps behind him. His face immediately lit up with joy; now he didn't have to worry about having any clothes to wear.

He only hopes the other person is male. Except for the time he was punished for violating the Codex Mechanics and was required to pilot a mecha while wearing a pink lace maid outfit, he has no interest in being a cross-dresser.

The target approaching from the other side was clearly also professionally trained; his footsteps were extremely light and slow, barely making a sound as he moved through the forest. But to Shinji Ikari, this meant nothing. He pinned the opponent to the ground from the side the moment the opponent merely drew his silver Glock pistol.

"Shinji-kun!" The target pinned down let out a muffled groan, but her voice quickly turned sweet and surprised.

"Kirishima-kun?" Shinji Ikari recognized him, but he was also a little surprised.

Because this classmate was wearing a black combat uniform—let's call it a combat uniform for now—with a corner of a silver tiger-shaped sword visible at his waist. His shoulders and back were covered only by a thin layer of black gauze, and through the high slits, fishnet black stockings were visible. It was truly a… incredibly powerful combat uniform!

If Shinji Ikari hadn't confirmed that the Glock pistol he took was genuine, he would have thought his female classmate was engaging in outdoor exhibitionism.

Chapter 95: It Must Be Tzeentch's Plot

You think you're some kind of anti-demon ninja? To be honest, Shinji Ikari feels like he's wandered into the wrong world since his return.

This world is so strange. What was once a peaceful world has been given a group of aliens called Apostles, and all sorts of other weird things.

He'd heard Misato Katsuragi mention a special kind of armor popular in Europe called bikini armor, which essentially meant the more exposed skin you wore, the stronger your defense—a super-strong AT field created by sacrificing clothing. Shinji Ikari initially dismissed it as nonsense, but looking at the strange combination of ancient ninja combat attire and modern clothing on the girl beneath him, he began to believe Misato's words.

It wasn't just belief; he even felt he had returned to the wrong world. He should have returned to the ravaged, crimson world, leading a new human force to defeat the corrupt capitalists, and then producing more, stronger, and more robust Titan pilots for the Emperor, instead of spending his days flirting with a bunch of middle school girls, not even scoring a single goal, and the valiant Imperial Knights were starting to wonder if they were infertile.

Shinji Ikari, Shinji Ikari, how could you fall so low! The Imperial Vanguard is heartbroken!

As for the situation where the flower blooms more than ten times but sadly bears no fruit, Shinji Ikari would never consider it his fault. If one had to pinpoint a culprit, it would undoubtedly be Tzeentch's conspiracy.

The treacherous forces have never given up their desire to destroy us; we must remain vigilant at all times!

Before I knew it, half a minute had passed. After calming down, I could see Kirishima Mana's beautiful eyes staring intently at me.

She felt neither awkwardness nor shame, and stared intently at Shinji Ikari, who was standing right in front of her. This girl, who clearly resembled Rei Ayanami, possessed bright, expressive eyes that were completely different from Shinji's.

As a beautiful female spy captured by the enemy in the middle of nowhere, according to the plot, she should be trembling with fear, but she smiled with her lips pursed, and even had a hint of expectation in her eyes.

"You know cosplay, right? It's role-playing, a rather niche work." Kirishima Mana smiled faintly at Shinji Ikari, who was sizing her up. Even though she was pinned down, she felt no shame whatsoever.

My gaze traveled down her disheveled coffee-red hair, across her slightly expectant face, and down to her slender neck and delicate skin on her shoulders—

"Is that so? I must have been ignorant." Shinji Ikari nodded slightly. Whether he believed it or not was irrelevant; it was just his habit to avoid putting the girl in an awkward situation.

He didn't care whether the other person was a spy or not; perhaps it was the face that resembled Rei Ayanami's that won him his favor.

He was about to get up and leave when his arm was suddenly grabbed.

"Are you alright?" Kirishima Mana's face was slightly flushed. Although she didn't look down, what was with that expectant look in her eyes?

Shinji Ikari, however, wasn't embarrassed at all about his own awkward situation, because that's just the difference between men and women. A woman naked might be considered pornographic, but a man naked is fucking art!

Clearly, the girl in front of me doesn't understand art very well.

Before Shinji could even speak, she proactively removed her black coat and shirt, which resembled a ninja outfit, revealing a black fabric clinging to her skin underneath. Running from above her chest down to her thighs, it might initially be mistaken for ninja attire, but many details clearly indicated it was modeled after the combat uniform of a chosen one.

"Ninja role-playing?" Shinji Ikari raised an eyebrow.

“Of course, it’s a very obscure work.” Mana Kirishima smiled.

"You're so beautiful. If I didn't have a cell phone right now, I'd love to take a picture with you," Shinji Ikari said with a smile.

“I’ll send you the finished film as soon as it’s released, or do you want to shoot something different?” Kirishima Mana blinked.

Shinji Ikari wasn't embarrassed by the teasing. He looked at the girl taking off her shirt with great interest and asked, "Would you agree?"

"It's not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing." Mana Kirishima tilted her head. "No matter how outrageous or ridiculous your request is, I'll agree to it. And I mean anything!"

"Then you can do my Chinese and math homework for me this weekend," Shinji Ikari said.

"No way, that's too much!" Kirishima Mana pouted, feigning anger, but handed him the clothes she had taken off. "Tie them around your waist. It's performance art, but there will be more people soon. Or do you need me to tie them for you?" Kirishima Mana gave him an ambiguous smile.

But Kirishima Mana's words, tinged with a hint of seduction, seemed to suggest she was afraid Shinji Ikari wouldn't do something bad. However, Shinji Ikari paid no heed to the provocation in her words, glancing sideways at the direction where the three mobile suits lay dormant.

"You came here for this too?" Shinji Ikari asked.

"Of course, after all, the legendary colossal robot that is said to be able to fight the Angels is right here. Many people saw the three robots being ejected. I just happened to be nearby trying on the costume that will be featured at the comic convention soon, and of course I couldn't resist going up to see the true face of the legendary colossal robot."

"So, does that mean there will be a lot more people soon?" Shinji Ikari raised an eyebrow.

Mana Kirishima was taken aback; she always felt that Shinji Ikari was thinking on a completely different wavelength from her.

Three hours later, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu, now fully dressed, sat on a rock beside a stream, soaking their feet, their bodies swaying gracefully. The warm afternoon sun shone through the dappled shade of the trees onto their backs. Although Shinji Ikari had tried to avoid them while they were getting dressed, he could imagine Asuka's shyness and Rei's composure.

They were all wearing beach swimsuits, the kind you can't go in the water for, just to sunbathe. Shinji Ikari had considered borrowing three sets of clothes from passersby, but then he glanced over and saw a shop selling swimsuits and life rings on the beach at Lake Ashina.

He suddenly slapped his forehead, only then remembering that Lake Ashina itself was a tourist attraction. Naturally, these kinds of things were available for sale.

Of course, Kirishima Mana paid for it, which made the arrogant noble knight look unusually embarrassed. Before he could even thank her, Kirishima Mana waved her hand and turned to leave.

Half an hour later, Shinji Ikari didn't see Misato Katsuragi, but instead saw the long-absent figure of Ryoji Kaji. He drove a silver Lexus ES300 directly into the scenic area from the special road and then stopped in front of them.

“Miri sent me to pick you up. She’s also in charge of the reconstruction and personnel organization in the PrbnowBox area.” Kaji Ryoji smiled and waved his hand. “Sorry to keep you all waiting.”

Chapter 96: The Girl's Worries About Her Real Name

“Looks like it’s over,” Shinji Ikari said.

He was also wearing a swimsuit, dark blue striped men's swim trunks. Since he was allowed to wear a swimsuit, he naturally wouldn't hogging the girl's clothes and insist on using them as an apron.

But Kirishima Mana showed a slightly regretful expression.

Shinji Ikari always felt that this classmate who looked so much like Rei Ayanami might have some peculiar hobbies.

“It’s over. The order to eject the machine was given by Misato Katsuragi, who was worried that the Angel would corrode the machine. After you left, we finally observed its blue pattern and confirmed it as an Angel. It will be named the Twelfth Angel, the Terror Angel Ilor, in order,” said Ryoji Kaji. “But this Terror Angel is quite troublesome. It’s not the kind of large-scale, super-giant life form we’ve seen before, but a microscopic swarm of organisms on the scale of bacteria, which is very difficult to deal with.”

"Like the Blacklight virus that killed Prototype?!" Asuka suddenly asked.

Kaji Ryoji thought for a moment, "Hmm, more or less. They are special apostles that can rapidly split, multiply, evolve, and be controlled, making them even more troublesome than the Fetal Apostles."

"So how was it finally resolved?"

"Later, He began to corrupt the MAGI system and accelerate NERV's self-destruction. In response, Ritsuko entered CASPER3, which was not yet corrupted by MAGI, and together with everyone in the development department, wrote an evolution-enhancing program, after which the Angel was annihilated."

"Why were they annihilated?" The sudden turn of events caught Asuka off guard.

Kaji Ryoji smiled and said, "To be precise, it's self-destruction, because the end of evolution is death."

"Oh, I see. Well, those people in the development department are pretty capable!" Asuka said, hands on her hips. "We're already bored with this. Let's go back to headquarters. I think I'll go back and take a shower."

Asuka didn't actually understand anything, but she had to pretend that she did in order to show off her intelligence.

"Haha, I'm sorry, we can't go back right now. MAGI is in the process of restarting, and the entire CASPER Three Sages system is undergoing a self-check, which will take about two hours. Even your security cards won't pass the verification. But if you're interested, I can take you to see my treasure."

"Mr. Kaji's treasure?" Asuka was a little surprised; she had never heard him mention it before.

"Yes, that's a treasure that belongs only to me."

Sitting in Kaji Ryoji's Lexus, we arrived at our destination in no time. It was actually located in this mountainous area.

Rei Ayanami walked into the field, looked at the lush green vines, and gently picked up a watermelon.

"Mr. Kaji's treasure—it turns out to be the watermelon he grew..."

The melon shed had collapsed. In fact, it was only about 20 meters away from the No. 2 ejector that had been launched. When that massive object crashed down, it overturned nearby trees and even revealed a crack in the mountainside.

It's a miracle that this field wasn't destroyed.

However, during the collapse, flying trees destroyed nearby buildings like cannonballs, and construction dust blanketed the surrounding area in a gray hue. This was why Kaji Ryoji had rushed off with their own vines; they even managed to spray water high into the air because the sprinkler they'd hooked was broken. Kaji Ryoji didn't care that his clothes were soaked; he carefully inspected every single gourd vine.

Kaji Ryoji brushed away the dust and found that the watermelon vines and leaves were still alive, revealing a genuine smile.